Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena insists the 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy at Loftus Stadium on Monday held no special meaning, despite the ongoing public feud with Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic.

The animosity between the two coaches stems from their previous encounter in the Carling Knockout Cup first round last year, where Sundowns lost on penalties. The match was controversially scheduled during an international break when several Sundowns players were away with Bafana Bafana who played against Ivory Coast.

Mokwena expressed his disapproval of the fixture scheduling, while Ramovic countered by criticizing Mokwena’s alleged disrespect towards Galaxy players. Ramovic also referenced Sundowns’ expensive signings, including Marcelo Allende and Matias Esquivel, who were reportedly bought for R50 million and R46 million respectively and were involved in that game.

The situation escalated further when Bongani Zungu’s tackle on Bernard Parker broke Parker’s foot, keeping him sidelined for a significant period. Parker only rreturned from the injury in their league meeting between these two at Loftus Stadium on Monday.

Downplaying the victory’s significance, Mokwena stated, “No, because I’m a football person and God knows the truth.” He then referred to comments by Khuliso Mudau, stating, “Like Sailor said, both me and coach Rulani know the truth and God knows the truth of what happened in that incident.”

Mokwena emphasized his focus on the game itself: “So, football is football. I’m glad we won the match, and that was the important thing for this football club. The way we won it’s what makes me happy the most.”

The win puts Sundowns on the cusp of their seventh consecutive league title. They require just three points against Kaizer Chiefs on Thursday to secure the championship. However, Stellenbosch’s potential loss to Golden Arrows on Wednesday could hand Sundowns the title without kicking another ball, necessitating a guard of honor from Chiefs at the FNB Stadium.